Calling for a comprehensive compensation for the farmers and orchardists who suffered extensive damages due to incessant rains, hailstorm and the cloud bursts, CPI (M) leader and MLA Kulgam Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami has urged the state government to go for immediate assessment of damages to horticulture sector and disburse financial relief to the affected families without any delay.In a statement issued here, Tarigami said the torrential rains and hail storm caused massive damage to horticulture sector especially in South Kashmir where the farmers and orchardists have been hit the worst.Expressing grief over the massive damages caused to households, fruits, standing crop and loss of life due to devastating cloudburst and windstorm that struck across the valley particularly in Kokernag, Kullan Kangan, Pahalgam, Khrew, Duggar Pora Baramulla, Nandimarg and Sadew Shopian, Tarigami called upon the government to depute teams to assess the losses in the affected villages so that they are compensated forthwith.
The CPI (M) leader urged the authorities to depute teams of experts in order to assess the damages and diseases, and advise the orchardists and farmers on measures to be taken to save the remaining crop. He said that farmers and orchardists must be advised by the SKUAST experts on disease causing falling of leaves of fresh fruit trees including apples.He said the growers have suffered extensive damage to their paddy sapling and apple orchards due to vagaries of weather and in such situations the grower community looks forward for the government support.“It is unfortunate that the farming community has always been taken at a ride by the successive governments. A point in place is symbolic waiver on Kisan Credit Loans as was promised by the state government to the farming community and the people associated with the horticulture sector in its major announcements made in recent past,” Tarigami said and added that it becomes an obligation for the government to come to the support and succor of the farmers and orchardists as they form the backbone of the state’s economy and have always been suffering on account weather vagaries.
He asked the government to come up with details on steps taken to waive off the interest on the agricultural/horticultural loans in view of the damages caused to these sectors due to heavy rains and hail storm. He also demanded that the government should provide details about steps taken to impose ban on the import and sale of sub-standard chemical fertilizers and pesticides; the use of which has proved very harmful to the fruit and crops in the state. He said the scab has eaten into vitals of the horticulture sector and urgent steps are needed to tackle the menace.Reiterating his call for introduction and implementation of Crop Insurance Scheme (CIS) in Jammu and Kashmir, Tarigami said the scheme will save the fruit growers and agriculturists in the event of losses suffered due to natural calamities. The CPI (M) leader said that not only the calamities affect crops, but the Crop Insurance Scheme would have covered the crops rotten due to various diseases by virtue of which the farmers in the state experience extensive financial damages every year.